It is especially sought in the cosmetics field to improve the conditioning of keratin materials, and in particular the hair. The term “conditioning” means properties of ease of disentangling, sheen and soft feel.
Fluid compounds with a low surface tension, such as silicones, are generally used for this purpose. They are well known in the art for improving in particular the disentangling of the hair.
Quaternary ammonium salts with a high melting point, such as cetrimonium bromide, in the form of an aqueous solution or an aqueous emulsion, may also be used for this purpose. With these two types of compounds, excellent conditioning of the hair may thus be obtained, but their use is accompanied by major drawbacks. Specifically, the hair becomes greasy, has a laden feel and a transfer of material onto the fingers is observed.
There are not currently, in this field, any other liquid lubricant compounds that afford excellent conditioning of the hair without the major drawbacks mentioned above.